Freight vessel



A. M. M'CDOUGALL 1,773,368

FREIGHT VESSEL l Aug'.l19, 1930.,

Fild Jan. 12, 1927 lz sheets-sheet 1 Aigg. 19,1930. A. M'MGIID'OUGALL y1,773g368 FRE I GHT VES SEL Filed Jan. 12, -192'7 2 sheets-sheet '2 a qlPatented ug. 19, 193() UNH'EED STATESv ALEXANDER MILLER MCDOUGALL, OFDULUTH, MINNESOTA FREIGHT l VESSEL Application filed January 12, 1927.Serial No.V 160,592.

lhis invention relates to freight vessels, and has special reference toone adapted for use in the transportation of railroad cars and otherforms of freight, either combined or separately.

ly transported, or transferred either from cars or the vessel to anotherdeck of the latter directly, or vice versa.

Still other objects of the peculiar type of vessel will appear in thefurther description thereof.`

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisapplication, and wherein like reference characters indicate like parts:Y

Figure 1 is a side elevation of one of the improved vessels showingrailroad cars thereupon;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional View through the lower hold of thevessel, showing the arrangement of railroad cars therewithin; and

Figure 4 is aV transverse sectional view through the central portionofthe vessel.

1 represents the hull which is of the usual l proportions found in acommon lake or ocean vessel provided with side watertanks 2 and bottomtanks 3 for control of the draft and stability of the vessel ascircumstance may require. A lower major hold 4 is provided above thewater bottom or tank top 5 and between the tanks 2, thishold beingpreferably divided into four equally spaced fore and aft runways, ineach of which is provided a railroad track 6 upon the tank top 5. Two ofthese tracks on one side of the vessel communicate with the entrancesection of the track indicated atl 7 at one side of the aft cabin 8, andthe other two tracks on the opposite side of the vessel communicatingwith the section of track 7 on the opposite side of the after cabin orengine house. The entrance tracks 7 are inclined downwardly into thehold of the vessel from the poop deck 9 which is provided with suitableentrance doors for the loading and unloading of the cars. A tween deckhold 10 is provided intermediate of the deck 11 and the main deck 12,this hold being provided for the carrying'of bulk or package freight,and which may be entered either through the side hatches 13 or the deckhatches 14, 15 or 16.

On the main deck 12 of the vessel are provided ive parallel,equallyfspaced, lines of railroad track, which, at the after end of thevessel and just forward of the after cabin or deck house, lead to thesides of the vessel either singly or doublyy as preferred, so that thecars may be conveniently moved to and from same in loading or unloadingthe vessel. From the foregoing it is evident that I have provided avessel capable of carrying the maxium number of railroad freight cars,

either loaded or empty, with or without other i forms ofy cargo, thetween deck hold being provided for this purpose and in the event of acargo being carried in this latter hold it may be loaded and unloadeddirectly through the side hatches, or if desired loaded cars may be runupon the main deck ofthe vessel and unloaded into the tween deck holdthrough the hatches 14, or by the use of any of various forms ofinclined or spiral conveyors, such, for example, as that illustrated at17, when `'these lightered cars may be re-l moved and loaded carssubstituted after the tween deck hold is filled. Then when the vessel isunloaded at its port of destination, loaded cars from the lower hold maybe removed and empty cars substituted, when the feight within 'the tweendeck may be loaded into these empty cars through the hatches 15 or 16 inthe tween deck and the package or bulk cargo thusv most expeditiouslyandv economically handled ;i as it is well known to those versed in theart that the handling of freight to and from cars on asdock to a vesselis very expensive at best.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is:

A vessel of the type described having a tank-top deck and a main deckfor the recepy tion of railroad cars, said cars on the main deck havingingress and egress in the after part of the vessel forward of the aftercabin or deck house, and the cars in the hold of the vessel havingingress or egress through the stern of the vessel upon either side ofthe after quarters. Y

In testimony whereof I affix my si ature.

ALEXANDER MILLER MCDOUGALL.

